pehawk wrote:I'll take a straight shot Super; you're a rube. Color it anyway you'd like, Te'o's a creepy liar. And that's the opinion of a man who's actually done a stretch in a nut-hut, Te'o makes me look sane.

Ok, well that's just your opinion. You don't have any more information than the rest of us. You've come to a conclusion and that's fine. Me, I'm gonna wait to hear the rest of the details before I pass judgement.

pehawk wrote:I'll take a straight shot Super; you're a rube. Color it anyway you'd like, Te'o's a creepy liar. And that's the opinion of a man who's actually done a stretch in a nut-hut, Te'o makes me look sane.

Ok, well that's just your opinion. You don't have any more information than the rest of us. You've come to a conclusion and that's fine. Me, I'm gonna wait to hear the rest of the details before I pass judgement.

Sounds more like you're going to let your biases continue to do their thing and hope to God you don't actually have to make a judgment call which would make Notre Dame look bad.

Back to watching T'eo as a football player, am I the only one that thinks he still has a place on the Seahawks? Potential top talent that may be able to be had at a bargain, just needs a gutsy team to take a chance on him... who does that sounds like?

Even if he is "simple" or "child like," the dude has football instincts.

pehawk wrote:I'll take a straight shot Super; you're a rube. Color it anyway you'd like, Te'o's a creepy liar. And that's the opinion of a man who's actually done a stretch in a nut-hut, Te'o makes me look sane.

Ok, well that's just your opinion. You don't have any more information than the rest of us. You've come to a conclusion and that's fine. Me, I'm gonna wait to hear the rest of the details before I pass judgement.

Sounds more like you're going to let your biases continue to do their thing and hope to God you don't actually have to make a judgment call which would make Notre Dame look bad.

ND already does look really bad in all this. I was flat out wrong in my national championship prediction, I have no problem owning that. I'm not the homer you'd like to make me out to be. Am I hoping it isn't worst case and that he is a total creep POS? Of course but as I've said numerous times I have no idea what the truth is yet, and frankly neither does anyone else here.

pehawk wrote:I'll take a straight shot Super; you're a rube. Color it anyway you'd like, Te'o's a creepy liar. And that's the opinion of a man who's actually done a stretch in a nut-hut, Te'o makes me look sane.

Ok, well that's just your opinion. You don't have any more information than the rest of us. You've come to a conclusion and that's fine. Me, I'm gonna wait to hear the rest of the details before I pass judgement.

I've spent most of my life in a world of liars, thieves and masqueraders...I'm well-versed in people like this. You can dismiss that all you want, but anyone who's lived that type of life can recognize and identify personalities better than psychiatrists.

pehawk wrote:I've spent most of my life in a world of liars, thieves and masqueraders...I'm well-versed in people like this. You can dismiss that all you want, but anyone who's lived that type of life can recognize and identify personalities better than psychiatrists.

T'eo's Wiki page

In high school, Te'o had a 3.5 grade-point average and did volunteer work with the Shriners Hospital, Head Start preschool program, Hawai'i Food Bank and Special Olympics. Te'o also became an Eagle Scout in November 2008.[15] Te'o is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

That doesn't scream creep to me. The girlfriend situation sounds more closet-homosexual or closet-religious than dirt-bag masquerader.

To be honest I can't believe the Te'o innocence angle is getting the amount of play and acceptance that it seems to be. The guy is a pathological liar. As pehawk said, I've known too many people like this and I can see it from a mile away. As bold as it sounds, I don't need anymore details to have a solid understanding of how this whole mess went down. Te'o is a creep and Notre Dame looks ridiculous.

pehawk wrote:I said creepy liar (why do I feel like I'm kidhawk and you're you now?). I agree, I think its a closet-case thing. But, lying gets creepy when you make up dead broads for media love.

Maybe he's a closet Necro???

And you my friend are a nazi (I read that somewhere).

I'm with Code. I cant believe ANYONE'S letting him off the hook by even acknowledging his victim angle.

I need to add ".net Nazi" to my avatar.

Ray Lewis was indicted for murder and we're screaming bloody hell for some web of lies about an imaginery girlfriend. I just watched some more footage on T'eo to get me grounded in reality. I'd be excited to have him as a football player if his draft stock falls and we get a bargain. Another chance for Pete to be stupid like a fox.

If we don't get him and he turns out to be actually crazy, I do want the opportunity to go back and delete these posts that will potentially make me look stupid.

The Ray Lewis thing is a hard one for me. It's a "but for the grace of god goes I" thing.

Not that I'm a gangsta thug, far from it. But, I've seen dudes get put into comas, legs broken, jaws shattered into paste via circumstantial punches or falls. Another inch or two, it easily could've ended up a homicide, EASY. Anyone in the early 20's, who ended up in fights, could've been Ray Lewis. Or, to put it another way, any of us.

pehawk wrote:The Ray Lewis thing is a hard one for me. It's a "but for the grace of god goes I" thing.

Not that I'm a gangsta thug, far from it. But, I've seen dudes get put into comas, legs broken, jaws shattered into paste via circumstantial punches or falls. Another inch or two, it easily could've ended up a homicide, EASY. Anyone in the early 20's, who ended up in fights, could've been Ray Lewis. Or, to put it another way, any of us.

In high school, Te'o had a 3.5 grade-point average and did volunteer work with the Shriners Hospital, Head Start preschool program, Hawai'i Food Bank and Special Olympics. Te'o also became an Eagle Scout in November 2008.[15] Te'o is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

That doesn't scream creep to me. The girlfriend situation sounds more closet-homosexual or closet-religious than dirt-bag masquerader.

fwiw.... when you are Mormon you are forced to do all those things (w/ the exception of GPA). Volunteer work, boy scouts, etc. If you don't do it you are looked at as a TOTAL outsider, bad kid, bad parents, and outcast.

pehawk wrote:I've spent most of my life in a world of liars, thieves and masqueraders...I'm well-versed in people like this. You can dismiss that all you want, but anyone who's lived that type of life can recognize and identify personalities better than psychiatrists.

T'eo's Wiki page

In high school, Te'o had a 3.5 grade-point average and did volunteer work with the Shriners Hospital, Head Start preschool program, Hawai'i Food Bank and Special Olympics. Te'o also became an Eagle Scout in November 2008.[15] Te'o is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

That doesn't scream creep to me. The girlfriend situation sounds more closet-homosexual or closet-religious than dirt-bag masquerader.

Ted Bundy did charity work too...not saying Te'o's that kinda creep, but a lot of creeps hide behind a kind, compassionate front.

SuperHawks wrote:A lot of people are painting this issue as black and white when in reality it is probably mostly gray.

Has he lied? Yes, there really is no denying that. But, the real issue here is what the intent was.

If he lied to cover up the embarrassment of being in love with a girl he's never met online that's a whole lot less of a big deal than if he lied and was involved in a big conspiracy in order to get publicity for personal gain.

It really isn't that hard to believe that he he lied initially to cover up that embarrassment and then had it spiral out of control rapidly.

Who here hasn't spun a lie before where you have to keep lying so you don't get caught? Now imagine that the spotlight is on you 24/7 by the entire nation and having that pressure to keep the lie going by any means necessary. Not a pretty picture right? Don't know about you guys but I sure as hell wouldn't be chomping at the bit to fess up to all of this nonsense.

Is he guilty of terrible judgement? Absolutely, no matter what else happens at the very least he's not only naive but not the brightest bulb because there is no way this wouldn't come to light at some point. Who knows, maybe he was just hoping to ride it out another few months until after the draft and then it wouldn't really matter if it came out. While embarrassing he'd still be set for life financially.

All I'm saying is there are still plenty of unknowns here and to assume that it's automatically the worst case scenario and to absolutely destroy him the way he's been destroyed the past few days is at best premature, and at worst could be just flat out wrong.

Having said all of that I have no idea what happened and he could turn out to be the POS you guys are claiming him to be but until I see all the evidence from both sides I'm withholding judgement.

The part for me that is very telling is that he knew about the hoax at the VERY LATEST (I don't believe for one second he didn't know before that) on Dec. 6th and continued to push that story line in the public afterwards. Why? My best guess...he understood what the storyline did for his Heisman chances and his exposure during the BCS Championship game.

Yeah but we usually look past creeps that can play football. Michael Vick and Ray Lewis both seem like bigger high risk people to me and they've broken past their stigmas. Manti can play football, somebody is going to take a chance on him. I'm not even saying we necessarily SHOULD, but I could see the Seahawks being the team that does. We usually don't pass by risky bargains.

Yeah but we usually look past creeps that can play football. Michael Vick and Ray Lewis both seem like bigger high risk people to me and they've broken past their stigmas. Manti can play football, somebody is going to take a chance on him. I'm not even saying we necessarily SHOULD, but I could see the Seahawks being the team that does. We usually don't pass by risky bargains.

True...I actually wouldn't mind Te'o on the team. I just find this story incredibly sad, and honestly, really funny.

You want to know what else is offensive? The fact the term "catfish" is being used. I was SO pissed off watching that, I thought it was real heading into it. 5 minutes in, I was livid and threw a lil tantrum over it.

12evanf wrote:Back to watching T'eo as a football player, am I the only one that thinks he still has a place on the Seahawks? Potential top talent that may be able to be had at a bargain, just needs a gutsy team to take a chance on him... who does that sounds like?

Even if he is "simple" or "child like," the dude has football instincts.

No, you can't bring a jackass like this into the locker room. Guys won't respect him now, and any mistake will be amplified by the fans. Would much rather have a guy like Vontae then this clown. At least a guy who is to emotional can grow up, but a guy who lies for attention to the country is just creepy.

Last edited by CPHawk on Fri Jan 18, 2013 3:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

One of the things NFL GMs often do that I don't believe in is completely removing players from their boards. That's how Tom Brady goes in the 6th round. That's how Russell Wilson reaches the 3rd round. I think if there is some feature you really don't care for, but the talent is there, you knock them down several rounds, but you never rule them out. Generally speaking.

I would rule out Manti Te'o. If I was a GM, I would not even call him in UDFA. Scott has already said it better than I could, Te'o shows all the signs of a future cancer, and his lack of accountability could effect his ability to grow as an NFL player. Maybe he'll end up a pro-bowler for some other team, but to me the risk is simply not worth it.

Last edited by kearly on Fri Jan 18, 2013 3:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

12evanf wrote:Back to watching T'eo as a football player, am I the only one that thinks he still has a place on the Seahawks? Potential top talent that may be able to be had at a bargain, just needs a gutsy team to take a chance on him... who does that sounds like?

Even if he is "simple" or "child like," the dude has football instincts.

No, you can't bring a jackass like this into the locker room. Guys won't respect him now, and any mistake will be amplified by the fans. Would much rather have a guy like Vontae then this clown. At least a guy who is to emotional can grow up, but a guy who lies for attention to the country is just creepy.

We have dudes that robbed drug dealers on our team..... Teo is a sissy.

In high school, Te'o had a 3.5 grade-point average and did volunteer work with the Shriners Hospital, Head Start preschool program, Hawai'i Food Bank and Special Olympics. Te'o also became an Eagle Scout in November 2008.[15] Te'o is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

That doesn't scream creep to me. The girlfriend situation sounds more closet-homosexual or closet-religious than dirt-bag masquerader.

fwiw.... when you are Mormon you are forced to do all those things (w/ the exception of GPA). Volunteer work, boy scouts, etc. If you don't do it you are looked at as a TOTAL outsider, bad kid, bad parents, and outcast.

signed, someone who was raised Mormon.

Ummm 100% false.

Signed someone who was raised a Mormon, still is a Mormon, has Mormon kids, and am a 5th generation Mormon. I got a bad GPA, wasn't in scouts, got kicked out of high school, never did volunteer work, and never had a problem with friends, parents, getting a job, getting into college, etc.

I think every culture and community has their own standards for what they expect. Mormons are just normal people. There are no FORCED anything. Just as in all cultures, there are norms and mores that are common and TYPICAL, but there is no coercement to do anything. I always find it hilarious when people who are so "well versed" in Mormonism talk about the "requirement" to go on a mission. It's 100% optional. Only about half go. They pay their own way. Nobody is required. It isn't a bad thing as I think a lot of kids grow up a lot when they go. But not going has no impact on your standing in the church. I didn't go. I am still given all of the rights and privileges of every other Mormon, including my brothers who served missions.

There is cultural pressure in every culture. I have yet to find a requirement though. Suggestions? Sure. Lots of things are suggested for people's own benefit in each culture and religion. That is how the religion sees them anyway. I've never seen anybody get punished in any way, shape or form for the things you mention above. If you felt pressure to do good in your life, then that's pretty much par for the course in EVERY religion.

Looks like the whole "Manti was complicit" thing is unraveling. I wonder how people's opinions of him change. It looks like he was dumb to get reeled in, but it also looks like it was pretty elaborate as they did have a girl do the talking and so on. I know a girl who this same exact scam happened to. For all I know, the same people pulled it on her. It wouldn't surprise me. She bought plane tickets to go to SoCal multiple times to see her "boyfriend" only to be told that he got called away on work and so on. Then he also got "leukemia" and up and died. She got a call from his "brother" ending the relationship.

What did they get out of it? She wasn't a "somebody" like Manti Te'o. They just liked screwing around with people's heads. They like to mess with people. They think it's funny. It is like the ultimate long con and it costs the person on the other end all of their time, effort, and even money, and they end up screwed over. You'll see this crap from bitter people a lot.

This girl was my friend, and I had to unravel the whole thing for her. In the end she STILL believed her "soulmate" was dead. I put in a good 20 hours or so collecting documents and stuff proving that it was all a lie, that her "boyfriend" never existed, that he never had played baseball at San Diego State, and all kinds of stuff. She was devastated and embarrassed and ultimately decided she couldn't be MY friend anymore because I was here ripping down her dead "fiance'" and I had no class. Of course a couple of years later she talked to me again, but literally... she was angry at me over it, because she couldn't be angry at anybody else, as she couldn't even track down who she was supposed to be mad at. They used those burner phones from Wal-mart, they used made up email addresses, they even had a mail box at a Mail Boxes Etc. to run their scam. They weren't looking for money or anything. They were just seeing if they could jerk somebody around for fun.

I think if anybody is a psycho here it's the Tuiasasopo kid, and Te'o is just his usual knucklehead/immature self that didn't figure it out until it was too late, because he saw a picture of a hot girl, and figured he'd get his NFL contract, they'd get married, and live happily ever after. I honestly believe that now, and it would be ideal for a Mormon kid to do so, because by having a long distance relationship, he avoids all of the pitfalls that would lead to a wedding that the family might not like as much (LDS lesson for the day... there is a difference between a "temple wedding" and a "civil ceremony"... Manti is pretty devout at this point, and I know his family would prefer he have a temple wedding. Anybody can get married in the temple, but to get a temple "recommend" you have to be able to answer a few basic questions and be prepared to go... you don't HAVE to get married in the temple, but parents really love it if you do and it is the preferred way. If you're already having kids together and stuff you can't get married in the temple, but you can go together and have a ceremony later and become "sealed" in the temple which has the same effect. That's what my wife and I and our children are doing and we are very excited about it, as we just had a civil ceremony one summer when we were in our mid-20's and realized that we were best friends and we made a good couple).

So anyway, I think the fact that this kid got duped is something that teammates may make fun of him about, but I am at a point where I won't question his motives unless some real damning stuff comes out. I think he got tricked quite honestly, and I also think he's a good football player and will continue to root for him in life and on the field. I saw what happened to my friend and how despondent she was and I wouldn't wish that on anybody. Thankfully for her she met a nice guy a couple of years ago and they are now married and have 2 cute kids and are happy. I don't speak to her much, but when I do, I don't mention that situation because it sets her off. Which I thought was funny for a while, but now realize how much it just destroyed her self-esteem.

Until the girl who was catfishing and Tuiasosopo sit down and share how they pulled off this time consuming hoax, I don't buy it. Pranking is one thing, but the pure number of hours this faker would have had to put into this thing is staggering and pretty much unbelievable.

There are many places the lie really breaks down, but the one that gets me is where in the interview with Schaap Manti says it never occurred to him to go visit the girl in the hospital after her supposed car accident or bout with cancer.

You can't sell the innocent, all-in puppy love as how you got fooled and then be the guy who doesn't make the grand romantic gesture to get to the sick girl at all costs.

I'm not following this at all, but I have found a lot of the responses here fascinating. Is it really so far fetched that someone was working on conning this future millionaire into believing that he was in love with this woman?

I know what my first thought was when I heard this, but since this isn't in the Shack I won't go into it.

pehawk wrote:Shark, you're killing me with giving this guy ANY wiggle room. He was in on it, period.

I like to give people a different view on things. I don't mind stepping out of my comfort zone and saying something I may not even believe to get people to think through all angles. I like to consider myself a problem solver. If I can take a car apart and put it back together, or rebuild a broken laptop with parts from 3 or 4 computers, then I can certainly approach a situation in somebody's life and see it from different angles. I'm a teacher, and I'm also an alpha and beta tester. So it is the way I think. I try to see things from as many possible viewpoints as I can. That way I can figure out where somebody is struggling with a concept and figure out how they are thinking and teach them how to do it. It is also how I can think through how somebody might use a piece of software or hardware and come up with issues that I personally wouldn't come up with. I can find bugs like crazy, by being able to change mindsets.

I don't see it as a weakness. I think it's a good way to approach life, so I do so.

I think you are both right. At least where I grew up, the "good" mormons were a lot like what T-Sizzle describes. The "Jack" Mormons tended to be more... free spirited. My neighbors were classic Jack Mormons. They were GREAT people, I loved being around them, then one day the parents swapped spouses with a police officer couple (by amazing coincidence) and when they found out, the mom brought out a hand gun and shot at her husband as he escaped for his life. The same husband would die in an unrelated car accident a month later. It was extremely bizarre- it was straight out of a hollywood movie.